Abstract

Background : Electrical injuries are damages on human bodies that leave burnt marks and caused organs impairment when a person is directly expose to an electrical current. In electrocution, the severity of the injury is determined by intensity, type of current, voltage, electrical resistance, duration of exposure, pathway of current through the body and the circumstances. The bathroom is a common site for the electrical tragedies. The diagnosis done with clinical criteria and the selective laboratory investigation, because there are no specific findings for the electrocution.
Objective: To determine the relation of various AC electricity exposure duration in water and the severity of intercostals muscle impairment in wistar rats
Method: This was an experimental study using The Post Test Only Control Group Design. 25 Wistar rats samples were divided into 5 groups, which were 5 rats for each group. The P2, P3 and P4 groups were given 220V of voltage and 100mA of current. The K1 group was not given any procedures, as for control/standard; The P1 group was exposed to electricity for 5 seconds; The P2 group was exposed to electricity for 10 seconds; The P3 group was exposed to electricity for 15 seconds; The P4 group was exposed to electricity for 20 seconds.
Result : Parametric statistic One Way ANOVA test revealed significant differences for all five groups of hyperemia (p = 0,000). The mean value for control group was 4,40 ± 1,140. The largest mean value was from P4 group (52,00 ± 4,528). Post Hoc Test revealed significant differences between control group and P1 group (p=0,000), control group and P2 group (p=0,000), control group and P3 group (p=0,000), control group and P4 group (p=0,000), P1 group and P3 group (p=0.000), P1 group and P4 group (p=0,000), P2 group and P3 group (p=0,021) and P2 group and P4 group (p= 0,002). Insignificant value revealed in P1 group and P2 group (p=0,106) and P3 group and P4 group (p=0,317).
Conclusion : There was a severity of intercostal muscles impairment in relation between groups that were given AC electricity in water and the groups that were not given AC electricity in water, and between each group that were given AC electricity in water with various duration of exposure.
Key words: electrical injury, duration of exposure, intercostals muscle